As by now you should all know about the UFC’s massive plan to create a women’s strawweight division using TUF 20 as the catalyst with the winner of the season becoming the first ever champ.
11 fighters were signed directly from Invicta to compete in the house. This leaves 5 free spaces left to fill. So who will/could/possibly/should be drafted in for this season of TUF? Well I am going to throw some names out there for the argument of discussion.
1. Jessica “Jag” Aguilar (16-4)
The American Top Team representative is number 1 in many of the different women’s rankings and is a real no-brainer to be included in the house. Currently riding a seven-fight win streak, including two wins over the legend Megumi Fujii. The 31-year-old has never competed in Invicta but is a Bellator veteran going 5-1 in the promotion.
2. Zoila “Warrior Princess” Frausto Gurgel (12-4)
The wife of UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel, Zoila is the last person to beat Jessica Aguilar and one of only two people who holds a win over Fujii (the other being Aguilar). She has lost her past 3 fights against top opposition, something that might prompt her to drop to strawweight. Voted 2010 women’s fighter of the year after beating Rosi Sexton, Penne, Aguilar and Fuji all in the same year. Gurgel is a Strikeforce, Bellator and Invicta veteran, it could be time that she adds the UFC to her impressive resumé.
3. Ais “The Bash” Daly (13-5)
Irish MMA’s top female competitor. Daly at 25-years-old has already gained an incredible amount of experience already having fought in promotions like Cage Rage, Bellator, Cage Warriors and Invicta. She has lost her past three fights but against UFC fighter Rosi Sexton, Invicta champ Barb Honchak and the previously undefeated Katja Kankaanpaa. Daly has taken a year-off and is bound to make her comeback on NYE at Cage Warriors and a win there could all but guarantee her spot in the house.
4. Katja “Killer Bunny” Kankaanpaa (8-1-1)
The past year has been somewhat of a breakout year for Kankaanpaa who stepped up from fighting on her local Finland MMA scene to win her Cage Warriors debut against Daly and then subsequently winning her Invicta debut a couple of months later. Unfortunately, she lost her last fight last week against undefeated Scottish fighter Joanne Calderwood, who was named to be in the house already. But Kankaanpaa would certainly be a good addition to the house and she could add some Scandinavian spice to the already incredibly culturally diverse TUF house.
5. Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii (26-3)
Now this one is a long-shot but the UFC, in my opinion, should do all it takes to get the 39-year-old Japanese legend. Fujii retired following her October loss to Aguilar. The fight was built up as her retirement fight but it ended in disappointing fashion (eye pokes resulting in the fight ending early). One of only two fighters to start their careers with a 22-fight win-streak. She has a win over current Invicta strawweight champ and TUF 20 contestant Carla Esparza. What is probably most impressive about Fujii is that she has never been stopped in 29 professional fights. Her addition would add a whole lot more of credibility in crowning a true UFC champ.